1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an apparatus and method for photographing an image, and more particularly to an apparatus and method for simultaneously photographing a still image and a motion image in a wireless terminal with at least two cameras.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the rapid development of communication, camera module and multimedia technologies, wireless terminals can obtain high-resolution images in the mega-pixel class beyond the size of Quarter Common source Intermediate Format (QCIF) (176×144) or Common source Intermediate Format (CIF) (352×288). There is no difficulty in storing and transmitting images using the compression scheme of Joint Pictures Expert Group (JPEG), for example. The wireless terminals implement a camcorder function using the motion-image compression scheme of Moving Picture Experts Group 4 (MPEG-4), H.26X, for example.
In addition, the wireless terminals implementing the transmission technology can perform not only voice communication but also video communication. For this, a ‘dual camera phone’ with two camera modules has been developed and produced.
When a user activates the capture key while viewing photographed images received from the camera of a wireless terminal, another image is captured. In response to storage selection of the user, the captured image is compressed and stored using the image compression scheme of JPEG, for example. In this case, the image size (of CIF, QCIF, Video Graphics Array (VGA), Extended Video Graphics Array (XVGA), etc.) and high or low image quality are predefined.
Since multiple images per second are captured when the wireless terminal photographs motion images, they are recorded in the Quarter Video Graphics Array (QVGA) or QCIF class due to a capacity or transmission problem and a performance problem. Similarly, the image size and quality are predefined and the captured images are compressed and stored using the motion-image compression scheme of MPEG and so on.
When a user desires to capture a still image while the wireless terminal photographs motion images, only a particular frame at a particular time is extracted while the photographed motion images are reproduced after the motion-image photography is completed. The extracted frame is converted into JPEG images. Because it is difficult for the motion images to have the quality of a general still-image due to problems in the wireless terminal capacity and transmission and so on, the user may not obtain images of the desired quality and size.
When the user desires to obtain a still image while the wireless terminal photographs motion images, the motion-image photography mode is stopped for still-image photography. Then, the still image is photographed in the still-image photography mode after the image size and quality are set. Subsequently, when the wireless terminal is switched to the motion-image photography mode again, the motion-image photography should be newly started after the image size and quality are set. During this operation, an object to be photographed may vary and also motion images may not be recorded in a continuous flow.
When a still-image photography attempt is made in a high image quality level while motion images are photographed in a wireless terminal with one camera, a motion-image flow is discontinuous and several frames are skipped, such that the motion images may be disjointed.